Positive shuttle drive for looms



Afig. 16, 1932. J, M GRA F 1,872,275

POSITIVE SHUTTLE DRIVE FOR LOOMS Filed Jari. 29, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 in /W liventor: /0/%/L 6 73442]? 1932. J. M. GRAEF 1, 72,275

POSITIVE SHUTTLE DRIVE FOR LOOMS Filed Jan. 29, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E5 9; 3%32. J, GRAEF 1,872,275

POSITIVE SHUTTLE DRIVE FOR LOOMS Filed Jan. 29, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i "Q I RENEE? Emil 6 72am,

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JOHN M. GRAEF, OF NEENAH, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO VALLEY IRON .WORKS COM- PANY, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN POSITIVE SHUTTLE DRIVE FOR LOOMS Application filed January 29, 1931. Serial No. 512,055.

I This invention relates to positive shuttle" bar movements for looms, more especially those designed for the weaving of light wire screens; and its object is to provide an improved mechanism mounted on the lay frame for conveying the shuttle, carrying aspool-of wire, back and forth through the shed, and a drive therefor so designed as to effect a proper pause or dwell in the shuttle bar movement during each cycle of the lay movement. The

present invention also includes a new and improved shuttle lock and release mechanism.

In a wire screen loom embodying the novel features of the present invention, there are employed a pair of reciprocating shuttle bars that simultaneously move inwardly and thenoutwardly through the shed, each bar traveling approximately half way, and the shuttle,

v on each inward or meeting movement of the bars being carried by the inner end of one shuttle bar and delivered to the inner end of the opposite shutte bar, whereby the weft wire on the shuttle is carried alternately back and forth across the warp wires. The present invention. relates in partto improved mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle bars in properly timed relation to the movement of the lay from a continuously roating drive shaft, and in part to a novel shuttle lock and release mechanism, whereby the trated one practical and improved embodiment of the invention, and referring there- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the loom showing the lay mechanism and its actuating means and the shuttle bar actuating and controlling mechanism mounted on one of the lay swords.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken from the opposite side of the loom.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal plan section on the line H of Fig. 2, showing in part the mechanism for shifting the shuttle release cam into and out of operative position.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail side elevations, part ly in longitudinal section, of the left and right shuttle bars, broken out, and the shuttle lock and release devices associated therewith,

both couplers appearing in shuttle-receiving position.

Fig.7 combined, showing the shuttle released from the right hand couplerand locked to the left hand coupler.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates each of a pair of parallel-side frame members, to the outer sides of the lower portions of which are pivoted on bushings 11 the upwardlyextending lay swords 12 that carry the top and bottom lays 13 and 14 in which the reed 15 is supported, also the shuttle bars and the shuttle bar actuating mechanisms hereinafter described. On the back of each lay sword is a lug 16 connected by a link 17 to a crank arm 18 on the end of the main drive shaft 19, by which thelay frame is 0scillated back and forth in the direction of travel of the warp shed, indicated at 20 in Fig. 1; the fabric, as it is woven, being passed over a guide roll 21 and onto the usual winding roll 22. 1 I

Fast on the drive shaft 19 is a gear 23 meshing with and driving a gear 24 (Fig. 3) I of the same size, keyed on a transverse shaft'25 whereby the latter shaft is driven at the same speed as the drive shaft 19.

Keyed onshaft 2 5 is the hub 26 of a mutilated bevel gear 27 having teeth out in 130 degrees of its circumference. An elbow bracket 28 is journaled at its upper end on the gear hub 26 and at its lower end is formed with a bearing 29 for a shaft 30. Keyed on shaft 30 is a bevel'pinion 31 meshing with the bevel gear 27, the upper end of shaft 30 beingequippedwithan arresting disc 32.

Extending between thelower ortions of the side frames 10, and journale in the bushings 11, is an intermediate shaft 33, keyed on which is the hub 34 of a mitre gear 35 that meshes with and is driven by a mitre gear 36 keyed on the lower end of shaft 30. Jour naled on hub 34 is another elbowbracket 37 is a view similar to Figs. 5 and'G being mounted in a bracket 42 that supports one end of the lay 14. ,.Mounted to rec1pro-' cate on the rods 41 is a slide 43, in which is mounted the outer end of a tubular shuttle bar 44, open at its inner end to telescope over one end of the shuttle 45, the shuttle and shuttle bar being supported on a roller 46 journaled in the bracket 42. Projecting from the outer end of the slide 43 is a threaded. stud 47 on which is mounted the upwardly turned aperture d end portion 48 of a rack bar 49, said end portion being adjustable toward and from the slide 43 by nuts 50 and 51. Slidable in the shuttle bar 44 is a plunger head 52 formed on its forward face witha horizontal lip 53. The stem 52? of the plunger head 52 extends outwardly through the slide 43, and encircling the stem 52 is a thrust spring 54 footed at one end against the rear face of'the head 52 andat its other end against the slide 43. Secured on the outer projecting end of the stem52 is a laterally projecting arm 55 to which is pivotally connected a link 56, the other end of said link being pivoted to the upwardly extending arm 57 of an elbow lever that is pivoted on a stud 5S projecting laterally from the slide 43. The lower arm 59 of the elbow lever carries a roller 60, the

function of which will-be later described.

Describing next the mechanism for reciprocating the rack bars 49 which are connected, as above described, to the shuttle bars 44, on each projecting end of the shaft 3-3 is keyed a crank 61, the free end of which is connected by a rod 62 to a cross head 63 that is slidably mounted on a pair of ways 64 secured to the outer side of each lay sword 12.

Attached to the cross head 63 is an upwardly extending rack bar 65 that meshes with a smallgear 66 keyed on a short shaft 67 journaled in the upper portion of the lay sword below and crosswise of the rack bar 49; and

also keyed on the shaft 67 is a large ear68 that meshes with and drives the rack bar 49.. These shuttle .bar drives are identical onthe two sides of the machine, and operate to move the two shuttle bars inwardly simultaneously,

and outwardly simultaneously.

The shuttle 45 carries the bobbin 69 on.

which the weft wire is wound; and in the operation of the machine, one end of the shuttle having been inserted into one of the shuttle. bars, it is automatically locked in the latter.)

1 and simultaneously it is automatically released from the first shuttle bar, so that the shuttle is carried half way across the shed by one shuttle bar, then seized and carried the other half way by the other shuttle bar. On the next inward stroke of the shuttle bars, the described transfer of the shuttle is effected in the opposite direction. This transfer of the shuttle back and forth between the two shuttle bars is effected by a pivoted coupler in each shuttle bar which cooperates with across pin on the endof the shuttle and with the lip 53 of the plunger head 52 to first lock the coupler-to the shuttle. Just prior to the return movement of the shuttle bar, the plunger head therein is retracted from the coupler, leaving the latter free to swing and release the shuttle so thatthe latter can be withdrawn from one shuttle bar as soon as it has beenlocked at its other end to the coupler of the opposite shuttle bar. H

Thisaction is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, wherein 7O designates the coupler pivoted in the shuttle bar on a pivot pin 71. In each end of the shuttle 45 is a cross pin 72. The lower side of the coupler 7 O is'formed with a notch 73 adapted to cooperate with the cross pin 72 of theshuttle, and a pair of spaced transverse shoulders 74 and 75 adapted to cooperate at different times with the lip 53 of the plunger head; Wheneverone end of the shuttle is entered into one of the shuttle bars, the coupler 7 O is in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the shoulder 7 5 of the coupler rests on the lip 53 of the plunger head. As the shuttle enters, the cross pin 72 enters the notch 73 of the coupler and the outer end of the latter is pushed upwardly thereby until the shoulder 74 automatically snaps over the lip 53 under the thrust of the spring 54, as shown at the left in Fig. 7. The shuttle is thus automatically locked to the shuttle bar which it has entered. At the same time the plunger head 52 of the opposite. shuttle bar is retracted by a cam acting on the roller 60 of the elbow lever pertaining to that plunger head, as shown at the right in Fig. 7, whereby the shuttle is released at that end, thus. permitting the cross pin 72 to move out of the locking notch 73 of the coupler. In this way on one inward movement of the shuttle bars the shuttle is carried in by the right hand shuttle bar and delivered to the left hand shuttle bar, and on the next inward movement of the shuttle bars the shuttle is carried in by the left hand shuttle bar and delivered to the right hand shuttle bar.

This alternate locking and releasing of the shuttle is effected by alternately acting cams, as follows.

Journaled on and transversely of the forward edge of each lay sword is a short shaft 76 (Figs. 2 and 3), keyed on which is a sleeve 77 having formed on its upper side a cam 78 that, in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, lies in the path of travel of the roller 60 and is engaged by the latter to retract the plunger head 52 on that side at the end of every other inward movement of the shuttle bar. During the alternate inward movements of the said shuttle bar the cam 78 is swung out of the path of travel of the roller 60; it being understood that the cam 7 8 on one side is in working position when the cam 78 on the other side is in non-working position, and vice versa. Forswinging the cam 7 8 to one side of every alternate stroke at the shuttle bar, the following mechanism is employed, this mechanism being in duplicate 0n the two sides of the machine, and operating alternately to rock the cam downwardly. On one end of the cam shaft 76 is an arm 79 that is connected by a link 80 to one arm of a lever 81 fast on a rock shaft 82 journaled in the lay sword 12 (Fig. 4). The other arm of lever 81 is urged downwardly by a pull spring 83, thereby normally maintaining the cam 78 in its working position shown in Fig. 2. Fast on the rock shaft 82 is an arm 84 carrying aroller 85. This roller 85 on one side of the machine is, at the end of every other back swing of the lay sword, engaged and lifted by a cam 86 that is slidingly supported on the bottom wall of a slot 87 formed in a horizontal member of the skeleton side frame 10. The cam 86 is connected by a rod 88 to the upper end of a lever 89 that is pivoted slightly above its lower end on a stud 90 (Fig. 1) on the side frame. Behind the two levers 89 on the respective sides of the machine, extends a cam shaft 91 fast on which are oppositely positioned cams 92 that cooperate respectively with followers 93 on the levers 89. The lower end of each lever 89 is connected to the machine frame by a pull spring 94 which causes the follower 93 to hug the cam 92.

Shaft 91 is driven at one-half the speed of the driving shaft 19 by a spur gear 95 (Fig. 3) fast on shaft 25 engaged with a spur gear 96 fast on cam shaft 91. The gears 23, 24 and 96 have equal numbers of teeth, while the spur gear 95 has one-half that number of teeth, so that the cam shaft 91 undergoes one revolution during each two revolutions of the driving shaft 19.

As above stated, the two cams 92 are oppositely placed on shaft 91, so that the two cams 86 move see-saw fashion to alternately shift the cams 78 out of the path of their cooperating rollers 60.

The operation will be readily apparent from the foregoing description, but their timed relation may be briefly outlined as follows. The rotating motion of the cranks 18 gives an oscillating motion to the lay, and for each revolution (360 degrees) of the main driving shaft 19, the machine makes a complete cycle in which all other movements, including the shuttle bar movements and the heddle movements take place. The permissible time for a complete operation of the shuttle bar motion is, however, 130 degrees in one cycle, the shuttle bar motion being at rest for the other 230 degrees. This is accomplished from a continuously operating drive by the use of the mutilated bevel gear 27 While the bevel pinion 31 is engaged with the blank portion of this bevel gear the shuttle bar motion is at rest, and when the bevel pinion 31 engages with the toothed portion ofthe mutilated bevel gear 27, the shuttle bar motion makes one complete in and out movement. The function of the arresting disc 82 is to keep the shafts 30 and 38 at rest for 230 degrees of rotation of shafts 19' and 25.

. I claim:

1. In a loom, the combination with a lay, a main drive shaft, and transmission mechanism between said shaft and lay, of a pair of shuttle bars mounted on the lay swords to reciprocate crosswise oftthe shed, automatic means for transferring a shuttle back and forth between the shuttle bars, an intermediate shaft, a drive from said main drive shaft to said intermediate shaft including a continuously rotating mutilated gear and a pinion engaged therewith, a crank 'on said intermediate shaft, and a rack and pinion transmission between said crank and a shuttle bar. i

2. In a loom, the combination with the lay,

' a main drive shaft, and transmission mechanism between said shaft and lay, of a pair of shuttle bars mounted on the lay swords to reciprocate crosswise ofthe shed, automatic means for transferring a shuttle back and forth between the inner ends of the shuttle bars, an intermediate shaft coaxial with the pivots of the lay swords, a drive from said main drive shaft to said intermediate shaft including a continuously rotating mutilated gear and a pinion engaged therewith,

a crank on said intermediate shaft and a rack and pinion transmission between said crank and a shuttle bar.

3. In a positive shuttle movement for looms, the combination with a pair of opposed tubular shuttle bars mounted to reciprocate crosswise of the shed, and a shuttle having end portions adapted to telescope within said shuttle bars, of locking pins on the respective ends of said shuttle, pivoted coupling members suspended in said shuttle bars adapted to automatically couple with said pins, spring-pressed members slidably mounted in said shuttle bars functioning to automatically lock said coupling members in coupling position when engaged by the shuttle, and automatic means for retracting said locking members at the end of alternate inward strokes of each of said shuttle bars.

4. In a positive shuttle movement for looms, the combination with a pair of slides,

opposed hollow shuttle bars mounted thereon to reciprocate crosswise of the shed, and a shuttle equippedon each end with a locking member, of coupling blocks suspended in said shuttle bars adapted to automatically couple with. the locking members of said shuttle, spring-pressed members carried by said shuttle bars functioning to automatically lock said coupling members in coupling position when engaged by the shuttle, levers pivoted on said slides and connected to said springpressed members,- pivoted cams disposed in the paths of travelof said levers, and automatic mechanism for alternately rocking said cams out of the paths of travel ofsaid levers.

5. In a positive shuttle movement for looms, the combination with a pair of opposed hollow shuttle bars mounted to reciprocate crosswise of the shed, and a shuttle having end portions adapted to telescope within said shuttle bars, of transverse locking pins on the respective ends of said shuttle, pivotedcoupling members mounted in said shuttle bars, each of said coupling members formed with a transverse notch adapted to automatically engage with the cross pin of a shuttle as the latter enters the shuttle bar, and with a transverse shoulder in rear of said notch, a sliding spring pressed plunger in rear of said coupling member formed on its forward face with a transverse lip adapted to engage beneath said shoulder as said coupling member is rocked and thereby interlock said notch with said pin, and automatic means for retracting said plunger-s at the end of alternate inward strokes of each of said shuttle bars.

6. In a positive shuttle movement for looms, the combination with a pair of opposed hollow shuttle bars mounted to reciprocate crosswise of the shed, and a shuttle having end portions adapted to telescope within said shuttle bars, of transverse looking pins on the respective ends of said shuttle, pivoted coupling blocks suspendedin said shuttle bars, each of said coupling blocks formed with a transverse notch adapted to automatically engage with the cross pin of a shuttle as the latter enters the shuttle bar, and with lower and upper transverse shoulders in rear of said notch, a sliding spring pressed plunger in rear of said coupling block formed on its forward face with a transverse lip adapted to engage beneath said lower shoulder as said coupling member is rocked and thereby interlock said notch with said pin, and to engage beneath said upper shoulder as said plunger lip is retracted from said lower shoulder to thereby limit the forward rocking movement of said coupler block as the shuttle is withdrawn, and automatic means for retracting said plungers at the end of alternate inward strokes of each of said shuttle bars.

' JOHN 'M. GRAEF. 

